When asked to compare my experience as a senior business executive with my time as an Air Force general officer, my response is that the two are not all that different. People matter most; leadership with clear goals is essential; assessing risk and reward is a constant requirement. Another common thread: Stability and predictability are… Continue Reading Budget uncertainty hurts business, government

The city is nearly halfway finished turning on all arterial streetlights, and plans to have all of them turned on by mid-November. Colorado Springs government turned off about 8,000 streetlights in 2009 as a cost-cutting measure. All residential streetlights were turned back on in 2010. All remaining arterial lights – about 2,150 at last count… Continue Reading City gets brighter, rest of streetlights on in November

The annual public e-town hall meeting to hear about the city budget will take place Oct. 18 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Residents can attend in person at City Council Chamber at 107 N. Nevada Ave. Comments will be taken at the hearing. Or people can watch the meeting live on Springs TV, cable channel… Continue Reading Council to hold e-townhall meeting about budget

Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division is giving enforcement vehicles to other state agencies after leasing more vehicles than it has workers. Enforcement officials signed an eight-year lease for two dozen new vehicles, mostly SUVs that cost $30,000 apiece. Months after signing the lease, the agency found fees were not as much as expected and it… Continue Reading State stocks up on marijuana enforcement SUVs

Memorial Health System saw an increase in its profit margin of $3.9 million, slightly ahead of budget expectations. But overall, it lost $10 million in May, due to unrealized losses in the stock market, said interim CEO Mike Scialdone. Scialdone highlighted Memorial’s financial performance in his monthly presentation to the Colorado Springs City Council. Year-to-date,… Continue Reading Memorial posts $10 million loss for May due to stock losses

Colorado’s Senate is taking a final vote Thursday on the state’s $7.4 billion spending plan for next year. The budget has already passed the House, and disagreements between the chambers are minimal. That means Colorado seniors are all but certain to get property tax relief next year. And public schools could see their first year… Continue Reading Colorado budget nears final lap

A new budget report released Tuesday predicts the government will run a $1.1 trillion deficit in the fiscal year that ends in September, a slight dip from last year but still very high by any measure. The Congressional Budget Office report also says that annual deficits will remain in the $1 trillion range for the… Continue Reading Federal budget deficit to dip to $1.1T, CBO says

The failure of the congressional “supercommittee” to agree on a deficit-reduction plan is affecting construction budgets, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The committee of six Republicans and six Democrats was charged to create a plan to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the budget. When the group announced its failure Nov. 21,… Continue Reading Supercommittee failure to inhibit construction funding

While revenue remained low for most of the year, Memorial Health System’s administrators believe it is returning to full health. The hospital will end the year with a strong balance sheet, and about 174 days of cash-on-hand. But net profit and patient volume remains low — affecting the system’s bottom line. In its monthly update… Continue Reading Memorial reports lower profit and patient volume